A look at the Red Wings forward depth chart and who might be recalled next
As injuries start mounting, here’s a look at a possible depth chart for the Detroit Red Wings and who should be next in line to recall from the Grand Rapids Griffins (and why).
The Detroit Red Wings' injury train is never late, or so I thought. Imagine my surprise when the trade deadline rolled around, and we had just our captain, Dylan Larkin, and goaltender Ville Husso on injured reserve (IR).
It’s likely that the lack of injuries played a role in Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman's decision to stay relatively quiet at the trade deadline. Although they moved on from Klim Kostin, it seems that it was a mutual, amicable breakup. He deserved a more steady role in the lineup that the Detroit Red Wings just didn’t have available. Even when Kostin played, no special teams time meant less than seven minutes of ice time per game regularly.
In exchange for Klim Kostin, the Detroit Red Wings received a late-round pick and Radim Šimek. Seemingly a throw-in as part of the trade, the former American Hockey League (AHL) captain of the San Jose Barracuda joins a robust Grand Rapids Griffins defensive core. Maybe Steve Yzerman had a crystal ball that allowed him to see a possible Simon Edvinsson injury in the future, but it appears this trade happened just in time for the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Along with the loss of Jonatan Berggren, who is on recall to the Detroit Red Wings for the indefinite future, it’s likely another forward will be recalled if Larkin is not ready to go, as Michael Rasmussen took a puck to the hand late in the game versus the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde had no update as of the postgame show when Bally Sports Detroit analyst Trevor Thompson inquired about it. Now, it seems he's either good to go or possibly day-to-day, as he practiced with the team Monday in Las Vegas.
Michael Rasmussen is skating at Monday’s #LGRW practice at City National Arena in Las Vegas.
— Jonathan Mills (@JonathanDMillsy) March 11, 2024
He left in the third period of Saturday’s game against the Golden Knights with an undisclosed injury. Detroit will conclude its road trip in Buffalo on Tuesday.
With every injury, though disappointing and frustrating, there’s a breath of opportunity. In this case, a Grand Rapids Griffins player could get a tryout with the Detroit Red Wings.
An important piece to note is that the Detroit Red Wings haven't shied away from using 11 forwards and seven defensemen this season. Especially on the road, this seems to give Lalonde flexibility with his line combinations and pairings when he wouldn't have it otherwise. It's possible, even likely, that if another forward is injured, the Detroit Red Wings will just go this route.
However, there are many options in terms of recall, and all of them are great. In reality, anyone can argue for the following players and be absolutely correct in their reasoning. At the end of the day, it will come down to Yzerman’s preferences (and possibly Lalonde’s).